Kitchen Cleaning Checklist: 11 Tips for a Clean Kitchen

No one wants a dirty, smelly kitchen. Make yours sparkle and smell great with these simple cleaning tips.

Microwave Cleaner

It's easy to clean baked-on food and spills from your microwave Here's how: Partially fill a measuring or coffee cup with water and add a slice of lemon. Boil the water for a minute, and then leave the door closed and let the steam loosen the mess. After 10 minutes, open the door and wipe away the grime.

How to Remove Stains From Plastic Laminate Countertops

Got tough stains on your plastic laminate countertops? Using the right cleaner and having some patience will make even the most stubborn stains go away. Follow our advice and you'll get rid of those ugly stains for good.

Scour Off Grime with an Electric Toothbrush

Now that discount and dollar stores carry cheap electric toothbrushes, you can add a modern twist to routine cleaning. Rapid vibration will quickly scrub out stubborn dirt, while the long handle can get to hard-to-reach places without all the elbow grease.

Clean Out Disposer Crud

Your disposer will smell better if you clean the splash guard. Lift the flaps and scrub them (especially the under side) with a toothbrush and grease-cutting cleaner.

Photo: Courtesy of The Family Handyman

How to Clean Oven Door Glass

It's a mystery how baking slop gets deposited between oven door glass panels. But it's clear that you can't remove it without disassembling the door. Get the instructions for removing the door and clean that grungy glass in less than an hour.

Citrus Peels and Ice Cubes for a Stinky Disposer

If your disposer has developed an odor, it may contain bits of rotted food. Here's how to clean them out:

With the water running at about half throttle, drop in orange or lemon peels. Run the disposer for five seconds. Citric acid from the peels softens crusty waste and attacks smelly bacteria. Give the acid about 15 minutes to do its work.

Turn on the water and the disposer and drop in a few ice cubes. Flying shards of ice work like a sandblaster inside the disposer.

Run the water until the bowl is about half full. Then pull the stopper and turn on the disposer to flush it out.